Q+A review

It's 2011, TVNZ's flagship political show is back, seeing as TVNZ is utterly bereft of any public broadcasting now as it gets prepped to be sold to Rupert Murdock (unless Rupert buys TV3 first, although under this Government they might allow him to buy both), Q+A is pretty much all that is left in terms of holding the powerful to account (let's not insult our collective intelligence by pretending Close Up is anything more than warm dribble) and it's great seeing Q+A back on screen.

When is 'The Nation' back on air I wonder? their press department don't keep me up to date about anything like TVNZ's press department does!

Guyon is co-hosting with Holmes now and that will make the show sharper in an election year. This way we get the right wing and the REALLY right wing perspective on NZ politics, that's as balanced as TVNZ gets.

Guyon has Key up against a wall by demanding to know why we are borrowing to fund the reconstruction of Christchurch rather than a levy on the rich, how was it unaffordable to borrow $300million a week ($120million of that on his tax cuts) but it's now affordable to borrow more rather than tax the rich?

Key is looking after his wealth class, those who have sang and danced under his tax cuts will continue to sing and dance under his tax cuts while the rest of NZ pay. He is going to slash working for families, it's as simple as that, the middle classes are about to feel as poor as the blue collar and no collar sections of NZ.

Guyon even picks up on my point on Radio NZ last week about where a solo mum finds work in Christchurch, and Key counters that he will go ahead with the Welfare cuts. Jaw dropping!

Just jaw dropping! He is unbelievable

On the panel is Jon Johansson, Vicki Buck and Michael Barnett.

Renowned author, film-maker and political campaigner Tariq Ali, is on about the jasmine revolutions in the Middle-East, seeing as the West have just started bombing Libya for freedom and democracy, his timing is one of those rare moments of gold.

He points out the hypocrisy of the West in propping these regimes up in the first place. Tariq shoots down Paul's claims that Islam can't have democracy by pointing out that Muslims all over the world want to participate and that extremist parties don't ever gain more than 10% popular support.

Paul Holmes then insults Tariq by claiming that 'George Bush was right to invade Iraq', with grace and anger Tariq shots back, 'Killing a million Iraqi's, making 5 million Iraqi orphans and destroying Iraq's infrastructure did not make George Bush right'. Paul says, 'I was just trying to wind you up', the look on Tariq's face to him said it all.

The panel are divided between whether things will get better or worse in the Middle East, they miss the role of Wikileaks in starting this uprising and the role of social media in exporting the outrage Wikileaks sparked.

They discuss that Key's budget will be a 'zero budget' and they all slam Key's desire to continue with the Welfare cuts. Johansson points out that there is a change going on after the quake in the psychology of the voter and NZers see solidarity and welfare as essentials rather than bludging.

Great to have Q+A back.

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